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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · bank · wake · rash · clip · temple · fan · leaves

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. court — of a king
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rash — a series
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bank — for money
  10. court — of law
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bank — for money
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bank — of a river
  21. clip — a video
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. court — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com